A refreshing phrase for me to hear having spent many years rejecting applicants based on levels of experience or whether they hold industry accreditations or if they fit into a matrixed table of specific requirements. 
There is undoubtedly still a place (and a pub) for operators with years of experience and this I imagine will not change, however it is encouraging to also see more applicants being selected for transferable skills, commitment and the desire to succeed. A leap of faith some might say, others would see it as a strategic master play in the pursuit of retention. 

Recently I read an article which predicted that Millennials will have at least three different careers during their working life. Gone are the days of the "company job". 40 years of continuous service with one company from apprenticeship to retirement is a thing of the past, people want variety and development, and they seek this across different niches. We as employers need to adapt to this and use it to our advantage. 
Call them portable skills, transferable skills, soft skills or whatever you like – the theory is that these skills are gained not just in employment, but at school or university, through clubs and social activities, through life experiences. Being able to communicate effectively, show initiative, display creativity, and work with integrity are valuable attributes in any industry – as they should be. 

In my last blog, I quoted the late great Steve Jobs, and I find myself again referring back to another of his famous speeches. 
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking."
Exploring and gauging motivation, dedication and peoples desires for a job, in my opinion, is vital to getting an insight into how they will perform in the role.
But how can we build this into our recruitment model? 
Behavioural questioning techniques can be used to gain insights into potential operator’s personality and aptitude. There are many aspects to this style of questioning, but key areas evaluated/considered can include leadership, decision making, ambition, analytical thought, creativity, and flexibility.  Emotional responses, key drivers and individual reactions to situations can all be measured by adding these simple techniques to the recruitment processes. 
Training practical skills can be done, training someone’s behaviour’s or reactions to situations to meet your needs is close to impossible. So why do we focus recruitment on the technical when in reality it’s the behavioural elements that form the basis of that person, and that is the raw material we have to work with and try to incorporate into our businesses.

I am by no means an authority on this subject, but my musings have come from my own experiences with both applicants and managing my team. I have seen first-hand that to try and stay true to company values and achieve our goals is a team effort and it is dependent on all personalities in the business being driven by a set of common behaviours.